Remembering Albert Bell
When I moved to San Diego in 1990, Albert Bell was one of the first people I met. Albert was a remarkable man, a gay activist with a bit of a following. Radical Faeries. Act UP! He was a gentle soul, seething with grief and fury, a saint in a black leather jacket on a motorcycle and I followed him. Many were already dead and the dying were all around us. Albert cheered everyone on. “Keep living.”
One night Albert was giving one of his speeches which were sometimes more like group bitch sessions. It was 1992 and someone mentioned the upcoming election. Albert was slated for a seat as a delegate to the Democratic Party convention. There was criticism about it. The Democrats had done nothing. They were no better than Reagan and Bush.
Albert looked around the room at each one of us and asked if we were all Progressives. There were a few mumbles.
“Is everyone here to the left of the Democratic Party?” Still there wasn’t much response so he started again.
“Look at the Republicans. They’re moving farther and farther to the right.” Then he showed us what he wanted to say. He walked to the middle of the platform where he was speaking. He looked left and right and made sure he was standing in the right spot.
“This is the common ground. This is the middle of the road. This is where the Democrats and the Republicans meet and deal with each other. Right down the center. “ A few people booed and hissed. He took two giant steps sideways to the right.
“This is where the Republican Party used to be.” He took two more giant steps sideways to the right.
“This is where the Republican Party is now.” He ran down to the left side of the platform.
“This is where the Democratic Party is. See how far this is from where the Republicans are now? So what do the Democrats do?” He took a giant step sideways to the right.
“They move their position closer to the Republicans. This is the Republican strategy. “
He ran to the right side of platform.
“They keep moving farther and farther to the right.” He ran back to the left and he showed how the Democrats are pulled to the right as well. He explained the middle, the common ground (more booing and hissing,) where it used to be, and how it, too, was moving to the right. He explained about the two party system and how it was based on compromise, on common ground, meeting in the middle and splitting the difference. Neither party ever has enough of a majority to act on its own and the two party system was the strength of American democracy. He explained how moving the whole construct to the right benefitted the Republicans. When he was done, he walked all the way to the left end of the platform.
”This is where we are. All the way down here. This is us. The Progressives. It’s our job to pull the Democrats back this way. It’s our job to be an anchor to hold the Democrats and stop them from following the Republicans farther and farther to the right.”
Then Albert talked about 1968. The war in Vietnam, the protesters, the assassinations, the primaries, the Democratic Party convention in Chicago, riots, police brutality, beatings. Inside the convention, the party Establishent prevailed by seating its delegates instead of the Progressives. The Establishment which had continued the war in Vietnam for five years under Johnson, succeeded by nominating his Vice President. Even though Johnson wasn’t running, he still prevailed. The disillusioned Progressives stayed home in November. Nixon won for the Republicans in a very close election.
Albert said 1968 proved that staying home is worse than making common ground with the Republicans. You go farther than making common ground with them. You make it easier for them to win and you make it easier for them to keep moving to the right. When you bow out there’s no one to keep the Democrats from moving farther right too.
I remember that night as the best civics lesson I ever had. Albert Bell’s demonstrative presence made it so. Here’s a link to an article about him. It might add something to help you understand why I still vote Democratic. I do it for Albert and I do it because of Albert.
First published by Daily Kos and then in HillQuest Volume V.
